A/N Hey guys, short chapter today because I've got a test in an hour. Thankfully, I'm still on track for the challenge so this doesn't matter too much.

R&R!

Chapter 10: A Setup For The Best

"All right Lincoln, you just gotta go with the flow." the young boy takes a deep breath, before walking over to a certain young boy, "Hey Bobby, what's up?"

The Latino boy turns to Lincoln, a look of annoyance readily apparent on his face, "So, what's gonna happen next?"

For a moment, Lincoln simply hesitates- after all, he doesn't want to annoy Bobby further. And so, he simply takes a breath, "Ok, I'm planning on going on another date with her."

Bobby's eyes go wide in shock, "But Michael! How the heck am I supposed to, you know work up the courage to ask Lori out if you're always spending time with her?!" He flares his arms, trying desperately to emphasize his point.

In response, Lincoln simply motions for him to calm down, "Don't worry, I know it'll be hard, but I'm going to make sure she hates me." He then limps his hands at his sides, "Come on Bobby, you trust me, don't you?"

The Latino boy turns and shuts his locker, "I don't know Lincoln… you really have had a bad track record with this stuff…" He glances at his companion, "It looks like you're trying to woo her, you know…"

"That's because I might be…" Lincoln hesitates for a moment, taking care to pick his next words carefully, before taking a deep breath, "Don't worry, Bobby." He places a hand on his shoulder, "Would it help you out if I told you what I have in mind?"

He hesitates in response, "Why the heck did I ever think this guy was actually going to help me get the girl of my dreams? Anyone would be lucky enough to get her to date them!" He shakes his head, before looking into Lincoln's eyes and speaking with a near-venomous tone, "Sure Michael, what do you have in mind?"

"Did you finish packing for class?"

"Yeah." He hoists his backpack on his back, "Why?"

The white-haired boy then turns and motions for his companion to follow, "Because, we're gonna go look for Lori, that way I can explain what I want to happen next, ok?

Bobby responds by giving him a suspicious look, before simply nodding, "All right."

And with that, Lincoln sprints into the lunchroom. It takes him only a moment, before he spots the young woman of his companion's affections, simply eating lunch with her friends. "Great, she's here!" He ducks behind one of the barriers. "Over here!"

Bobby shrugs, before ducking behind it as well, "Ok Michael, Lori is right there, what do you have in mind?"

Lincoln takes a deep breath, "This is definitely not gonna end well." He then looks at the young girl, taking note of her seemingly perfect features, "But hey, lets see where the rabbit hole goes." He turns to face his companion "So, I'm gonna go ask her on a second date, ok?"

Instead of anger or confusion, Bobby remains silent… it is almost as if he had expected Lincoln to suggest that. "I knew it."

"What do you mean?" The white-haired boy raises an eyebrow in confusion.

A soft fury begins to burn in the young boy's eyes, "You want to date her too!" He raises his finger and points at him, "You're just stringing me along so you can go at her without having to worry about competition!"

"I should've seen this coming." Lincoln quickly holds his hands up defensively. "N-no, it's not like that!"

"Oh yeah?" The Latino crosses his arms and simply stares into the boy's eyes, "Then prove it. What are you planning on doing with her?"

Lincoln pushes his companion off, "Don't let it get to you Lincoln, you're gonna do your best and follow the rabbit hole." He takes a deep breath, "I'm going to go on a date with her, but I'm going to do my best to make it go as horribly as possible."

Bobby raises and eyebrow in curiosity, "And?"

"Great, he doesn't want me dead anymore!" Lincoln takes a deep breath, "And, once the date goes absolutely horrible, Lori will never want to go out with me again." He then rubs his own arm, "After that, you can go talk to Lori and she might give youa chance."

The Latino boy loosens up ever so slightly, while he continues to stare at Lincoln with a judgmental gaze, "Fine, I'll let it go." He turns around, "Go on your date. But make sure it goes as poorly as possible."

"Will do." Lincoln quips, "Just because I want to see where this rabbit hole goes, doesn't mean I want Lori's heart to break… I have to make sure that she breaks up with me in the end." With that, the young boy steps out from his cover and approaches the young girl, "Hey Lori."

Immediately, the blonde-haired girl perks up, "Oh, hey Michael!" She motions towards the other girls sitting at the table, "Girls, this is my boyfriend, Lincoln!" she then motions towards the boy, "Michael, these are my friends, Brittany and Carol!" She then leans back in her seat, "What's up?"

"I guess this was before she started to hate Carol." Lincoln rubs the back of his head, "Oh, nothing much." He shrugs, "I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to the movies with me tomorrow, you know, since class isn't too hard, right?"

For a moment, Lori rubs her chin.

"I hope my parents aren't crazier than they are in my time." Lincoln silently begs, before his partner shrugs, "Sure Mike, I'm sure that'd be nice."

"Awesome!" Lincoln mentally cheers, though he still can't help, but feel that he is making a big mistake, "So, where do you wanna meet up?"

"How about the theater? My mom and dad are probably going to bury you if you step foot near our home." She awkwardly rubs the back of her head, though she can't help, but chuckle at the idea. "Heh, he'd probably have to run hard in order not to get caught!"

Lincoln smiles, "All right then, I'll meet you there after school!" he then turns and waves her off, before bolting out of the room, leaving Lori behind to smile at him, while Bobby stares at the couple, frustration filling his eyes.

He clumps his fists, "Dangit… what's going on with me?" He sighs, "Just relax. Just relax. How would Nie Nie react if she saw you like this?" And with that, he turns and makes his way out of the room.

9-20-'19 1-12-13-15-19-20 20-9-13-5 6-15-18 12-15-18-9 1-14-4 12-9-14-3-15-12-14-'19 4-1-20-5 20-23-15: 5-12-5-3-20-18-9-3 2-15-15-7-1-12-15-15

A/N I hope you guys enjoyed! I gotta go back to studying!

Review Replies:

BoukenDutch: Sometimes you just forget things when you're younger.

River Person: WD Gaster!

gamelover41592: She better, though next chapter will involve her and what she's trying to do.

celrock: Thanks!

DreadedCandiru2: Heh though that hasn't happened just yet.

Finnjr63: Not just yet! I've got 20 chapters to go!

364wii: Hey, what can I say, sometimes the Lodus can be inconsistent!